Cuban Black Hawk, Buteogallus gundlachii

The Cuban Black Hawk, (Buteogallus gundlachii), is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family. This family includes eagles, hawks and Old World vultures. It is endemic to the island of Cuba, where it is only found along the coastal areas. The IUCN listed the Cuban Black Hawk as near threatened in 2008.

The Cuban Black Hawk has traditionally been considered a subspecies of the Common Black Hawk, (B. anthracinus). Recent evidence, however, suggested it should be treated as a separate species, and subsequently was formally acknowledged as a distinct species by the American Ornithologists’ Union in 2007.